Dear Friends,
With spring weather finally here, it’s exciting to see the boardwalk start to fill up with people out to enjoy the season. Five new pavilions are nearly complete and they’re going to be a great addition to the boardwalk experience – an easily accessible spot where those who can’t make it to the beach can get out of the sun and enjoy spectacular views of the ocean.
As part of the reconstruction project, we installed a new state-of-the-art public address system to replace one that was beyond its useful life. The new speakers have amazing voice and audio quality, and unlike the old system, there is no loss of volume toward Fifth Street and 14th Street. The new system includes zones to allow customized messages for different parts of the boardwalk. The new speakers can be used to play music for events like a fireworks simulcast, but most importantly, they’re a tool for conveying messages to the public. Even in the first weekend they were working, the new speakers helped reunite parents with a lost child and alert an owner to a lost credit card. I’d like to thank our IT team and Music Pier staff for working together to complete this important project.
I want to remind you all that the 34th Street Bridge will be closed overnight tonight (from 10 p.m. April 13 through 5 a.m. April 14) and again on Monday night (from 10 p.m. April 17 through 5 a.m. April 18) to allow work crews to pour the final sections of concrete for this phase of work. The Cape May County project remains on schedule to be complete by May 4, and I’m sure we’ll all be relieved to have both lanes of the bridge back for the summer.
Michele and I would like to wish everybody a Happy Easter with family and friends. The weekend forecast looks good, and I hope you’ll take time to enjoy the many events planned for this weekend, including the Great Egg Hunt at 2:30 p.m. Saturday on the beach between 11th Street and 14th Street, the Easter Sunrise Service at 6:30 a.m. Sunday on the Ocean City Music Pier, and the Easter Fashion Promenade, which will start this year with a performance by the Philly Keys, a dueling piano show, at noon Sunday in front of the Music Pier.
Warm regards,
Jay A. Gillian
Mayor
